To like a friend
by Eternal Devil Dog
Summary: Good old cliche RWHG fanfic. May add something else, but that's the main plot at the moment. And what may come between then in the future.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these characters. JK Rowling does. I don't think I own anything in this. Besides, if I did own Harry Potter, would I really be writing on a fan fiction site?_

**Authors note: Written pre-HBP. Only a third of the way through when I wrote this. Know some secrets, but will not reveal yet.**

_**Chapter 1**_

**Argumentative Hermione.**

_Enter Ron's mind..._

_God, Hermione can argue a lot. She seems to be able to find faults with everything. Correcting teachers often, and always poking at Harry and my's work. It can get really annoying. What am I saying? It IS annoying. Always. Whenever she just mentions one little fault, even in disguise, I always recognise it, and get frustrated. Always poking. Always prodding. Nothing is ever good enough for Hermione. Never. No one will ever meet her expectations it seems. Viktor Krumm got somewhere, but Hermione's given up on him now. He still tries, the poor guy._

_What am I saying? I don't feel sorry for Krumm one measly bit! Just because he's a famous seeker doesn't mean he can get anybody, 'specially Hermione. Even the famous ones don't meet her expectations anymore. I'm not even sure if they used to. But Harry's scar must of had something to do with friendship at the start, right? Who makes friends with someone just because they look kind? Okay... not the best example, but still. I still think she befriended Harry because of his scar at the start. She's become more mature since then. Now, we really are friends. But, she still pokes. Like a bossy female friend does. _

_It just gets on my nerves sometimes, and I always wish it doesn't. I don't like being mad at Hermione. And it makes me mad at myself. And, of course, that is extremely confusing. I just can't stand being mad at one of the best friends I've ever had, and I feel that she's drifting away. Soon, she may get on with another life, and become a gossiping Lavender. I'll just have to go after Fluer instead... but I think Bill's already got her._

_Nothing EVER goes for me. Ronald Weasley. God, I need more of a life._

'Ron... did you just get that spell wrong again?'

Ron looked up, his wand smoking slightly as he slowly came out of dream-land. He looked up at the girl in front of him, her bushy brown hair falling over her face slightly, while she gave him the 'I know you are. Your answer won't change that' look.

Ron gave a slight sniff, smelling the fumes emitting from the end of his wand in disgust. He didn't answer Hermione. Just sat there, looking at his smoking wand.

'Ron... concentrate' she said, knowledgeably, 'Hold your wand firmly, and make sure you pronounce all of the syllables.'

Ron listened carefully, as she started to throw the advice at him, and he quickly started to obey. '_Lacarnum, Inflamari_' he muttered, a warm, blue fire suddenly appearing in the fireplace. He smiled triumphantly, before a red flame ate it up.

'I don't understand why you couldn't do that charm, Ron' Hermione said, gazing at the natural flame, 'I've been able to do it since first year.'

Ron grumbled, before coming up with, 'I forgot, okay?'

Hermione gave a slight frown. 'Well... make sure you don't forget anything important. Or a spell that might come in handy, Ron.'

'I should remember all the really important ones' he reassured her, with a roll of his eyes. She gave a smile, before turning her head to see a boy enter. His raven hair stuck out at odd angles, and his eyes were a vibrant, emerald green. But, the most noticeable thing was the lightening scar on his forehead.

'Harry' Hermione said, giving a smile, her perfectly even teeth showing. Ever since the incident with Draco, and her charmed teeth, she had a perfect smile.

'State the obvious, 'Mione' Ron muttered, though he hadn't actually meant to. His mouth never seemed to obey him. She gave him a small glare, before stating, 'Don't insult the one who just helped you master a simple spell, Ronald.'

_Ronald... Why does she call me that? God... it's not as good as 'Ron'. She made friends with 'Ron'. Not 'Ronald'. She sounds kind of like mum when she's angry. 'RONALD WEASLEY!' They must be buddies..._

_What the hell am I thinking?_

He blinked, Hermione looking at him expectantly. She gave a shrug, giving up on any comeback by the redhead.

Harry raised an eyebrow at Ron, who was giving them both a blank look. What had he missed while he was thinking?

'Ron? Do you think we should continue the DA?' Harry asked him, to change the subject, as he had missed out on it. Plus, he didn't want to be stuck in the middle with them throwing insults at each other, even if Ron had spoken a bit late.

'I-I guess' Ron stammered, before nodding at the change of subject, 'Sure. Learn a lot of spells... though we don't really have a point anymore.'

'I think fighting V-Voldemort is a point, Harry' Hermione said, slumping into an armchair, and gazing at the flames as they danced.

'Yeah. We need to learn those spells, in case of an encounter. You know He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has got the Dementors, that used to patrol Askaban Prison. We need to work on the Patronus.'

'Okay... the DA will go on. By the way Ron, Quidditch tryouts are this weekend. You're going to go for Keeper again, right?'

'Of course' Ron said, glancing at the two, 'Something to do in the spare time.'

'I think you know you don't have much spare time, Ron' Hermione said, 'You're going for N.E.W.Ts now. Harder than OWLS. A lot more studying. And you know that Professor Mcgonnagal is a big fan of making you work hard to get the grades you need. And--'

'And the new Defence Against the Dark Arts is a hard one too' Ron said, finishing her lecture, with a grin, 'We know, Hermione. We've already got it done. A whole free block to ourselves. By the way, thanks for that essay you left on the armchair. It was a big help. I kept forgetting the attributes of werewolves, and wolves.'

Hermione scowled. 'I knew I left one... I just knew it! Ronald, how dare you copy my work!'

'I didn't copy it word for word!' Ron reassured her, flailing his arms slightly to calm her down, 'I just used yours as a guide. Aren't I learning great, 'Mione?'

Hermione looked at Ron, as he gave her a grin. 'I gue– You should--' Hermione didn't know what to say. Sure, he had copied her work... but he was just using it as a guideline, and adding his own junk to it...

Hermione frowned slightly. She was growing soft toward Ron.

Harry peered at Hermione closely. 'Something wrong?' he asked her, suspiciously.

She shook her head, smiling slightly. 'Let's just enjoy the free block' she said, 'Food? Chess? Exploding Snap?'

Ron and Harry looked at each other, raising an eyebrow. She's starting to lighten up! Ron thought, happily, But is that bad? Will she change entirely?

He felt slightly uneasy, before Hermione gave him a reassuring smile. The one that showed her perfectly straight teeth, before she leaned back, to watch the two play their games happily. No book. No work. Just watching the game.


	2. Chapter 2: Snowball fight

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of these characters. JK Rowling does. I don't think I own anything in this. Besides, if I did own Harry Potter, would I really be writing on a fan fiction site?_

_**Chapter two**_

**Snowball fight**

_Hermione's mind..._

_That Ron. He can be so immature sometimes! Playing games when he could be learning something valuable for his life! For school! But no. He would rather play chess. He never likes learning. Sometimes I wonder why he even tries to learn spells. And he always ends up asking for help. He never succeeds without my help. Ron needs me. He clings to me for help in his school work. He needs Hermione Granger to survive at school._

_But he never needs me to survive for anything else. He makes jokes so easily, and others just adore him at times. I thought I saw Lavender go dreamy in his presence, and had to be slapped on the face to get out of it. Or maybe she was looking at Harry? It was hard to tell. But Harry's another thing. Everyone loves Harry Potter. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. I really think Ron befriended him because of his scar at first, but they're really friends now. Same with me, hopefully. _

_I feel slightly shunted out, at the fact that I care more about learning. They're right. I need to loosen up... just a little bit. Enough to be noticed a little more, maybe? More than just 'the girl who always knows'. I wish I was Harry. Everyone likes him. I'm just the girl with a big brain, and no one seems to like them. Quite surprised I even made Harry and Ron as friends._

'Hey! Hermione!' Ron said, prodding her with his wand, 'Are you alive?'

'Ow, Ron!' she muttered, rubbing her arm, 'Yes! I'm alive! You can stop poking me now, okay? What do you want, Ron?'

'Come outside' he said, grinning, 'Come outside– for a snowball fight.' Before she could object, he went on. 'Please Hermione! Please! You should come! Snowball fights are awesome, and you're really missing out!'

'I see you've gotten over Ginny?' Hermione said, though somewhat asked, standing up and moving to the other side of the Common Room, incase he exploded.

But, he did not. In fact, a smug grin appeared on Ron's face. He looked almost like Draco, with the look. 'Ah, I don't think we need to worry about that anymore, 'Mione' he said, his voice rather triumphant, enticing her to ask 'why?' But, Hermione said something completely different.

'When did I care about who Ginny goes out with? As long as she doesn't go all distraught, it's fine, right?' Hermione said, her brow furrowing, as Ron gave her a blank stare. She rolled her eyes, deciding to just go along with it instead. 'Wait... I thought she was still going out with Dean... have you finally stopped being an overprotective brother?'

Ron shook his head. 'Nope. But, he'll be dumped by tomorrow! Trust me!'

'You didn't lie, did you Ron?' Hermione asked, glaring at him with an accusing look.

'Er... no?' Ron answered, before quickly changing the subject, 'So... you're coming for the snowball fight?'

Hermione gave a shrug. 'Sure, Ron' she answered, with a slight smile. She wrapped her scarf around her neck. 'Okay. Let– Where's Harry?'

'He's already out there' Ron reassured her, stepping out of the Portrait Hole, 'Hurry up... he's waiting...'

Hermione nodded, before rushing out the Portrait Hole after him. They rushed through the corridors, and down the stairs, before arriving at the ground floor, where Ron opened the door, and jokingly bowed, and beckoned Hermione through the door.

'Hey! Ron! Hermione!' a voice shouted, from behind, 'Wait!'

The two turned, to see another red-head sprinting madly through the crowd, waving her hand for the two to notice her.

'Hello Ginny!' Hermione said cheerfully, before glancing at Ron, remembering what he had said earlier. Ginny _looked_ happy enough... 'Anything wrong, Ginny?'

'Nope, everything's great!' Ginny answered, rather happily, 'Why? Is Ron planning something?'

'I wouldn't know' Hermione said, casting a glare at Ron, 'But I think so. Be careful, Ginny.'

'Wait...' Ginny said, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder. She gave a quick glare at Ron, who's brow furrowed for a second, before he turn and traipsed over to Harry.

'Nothing's wrong' Ginny reassured Hermione, seeing the worried look on her face, 'But... I know... _stuff._'

'What?' Hermione said, 'I-I don't understand what you mean Ginny...But _stuff_ doesn't sound good...'

'Dunno whether or not it is' Ginny said, glancing over at Ron and Harry, who were looking around for any good opponents, 'Snowball fight?' she asked Hermione suddenly.

Hermione nodded, looking at Ginny curiously. 'What about?' she asked, warily.

'_Harry.'_

Hermione shook her head. 'Harry is complicated, Ginny. He is fantastic with disguising what he thinks. And we all know about the Prophecy.'

'Prophecy? I thought that smashed! Hermione... I thought I was the one explaining here... I have no idea what _you_ are talking about!' Ginny said, in slight disbelief.

Hermione opened her mouth, decided against it, then opened it again, to actually speak. 'Well... if it isn't the Prophecy, then what _do_ you know, Ginny?'

Ginny frowned. 'Well... Harry's... _coping too well_...' she said, as if she couldn't word it any better.

'Coping _too _well?" Hermione said, her brow furrowing, 'What are– Well, I guess he is coping with Sirius really well... But... do-do you know _why_ Ginny?'

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, when the two heard Ron's shouts. 'Come on, Hermione! Ginny!'

The two turned toward him. 'Er... coming!' Hermione called, before adding in a low voice to Ginny, 'Tell me later, okay?' She usually hadn't been fond of gossip, but this was Harry. Her friend. And Ginny looked dead serious.

The two walked over to the boys, as they pointed at three other people, opposite them. Hermione recognised them immediately, as Dean, Seamus and Neville. Three other Gryffindors.

'Our opponents!' Ron state proudly, before yelling, 'START!'

Snow started flying in all directions. In the first minute, Hermione had snow covering her hair. She frowned, brushing it out, and throwing a ball of snow toward Seamus, which stopped short a foot from hitting him.

Next to her, Ginny fired a shot at Dean, which made it's mark, causing him to fall over, in small hysterics. Ginny gave a small giggle, before the laughing boy gave a thumbs up.

Harry and Ron were making some good shots, hitting most of the people they aimed at. Neville got showered in snowballs, and had white all over him afterwards.

An hour later, the sixteen year olds panted furiously. Hermione collapsed into the snow, grinning broadly, when she felt a pain shoot around her hand. Automatically, she wrenched her hand away, to see a shoe, where her hand had been. And wearing the shoe... _Draco Malfoy._

Hermione remembered, three years ago, when she had punched the git in the face. The urge to do it for a second time flowed through her, but her punching had was throbbing, after he stood on it.

Her eyes watered for a second, before she glared icily at Draco. 'Go away, git' she hissed, menacingly, 'Does it look like we want a cockroach in our lives?'

Harry raced over, his wand pointing at Draco, and he had a threatening look on his face. Snowballs suddenly collided with the blonde's face, before Ron charged forward, kicking him in the shins.

Draco yelped, hopping around on one leg and holding his shin. He fell into the snow, after losing his balance, and gave Ron a death-glare. 'Silly hobo!' he bellowed, 'Doing anything to protect your little girlfriend!'

Ron blushed scarlet for a second, before he glared viciously at the blonde-haired boy. 'I will kill you someday, Malfoy' he hissed, standing up, and storming away. Deep footprints lay in the snow behind him.

'Sissy' Draco muttered, looking at his shin, and climbing to his feet. A purple bruise was starting to develop. Limping slightly, he strutted away, jeering about Ron among his friends.

'Foul thing' Hermione muttered in disgust, climbing to her feet, 'I'll go get Ron.'

She followed his footprints, to find him leaning against the trunk of the large beech tree, the branches overhanging the frozen lake. Ron was frowning, gazing off into the distance. He hadn't even noticed Hermione come into his presence.

'R-Ron?' she asked, hesitantly.

He turned to her suddenly, startled to see her there. 'O-oh, Hermione' he said, breathlessly, 'I didn't expect you'd follow me! I didn't expect anyone would follow me.'

'Don't be silly Ron!' Hermione said, smiling, and sitting down beside him, 'You _have_ friends. And a sister who cares.'

Ron gave a shrug. 'Sorry' he muttered, looking at the ground.

'For what?' Hermione questioned him curiously, 'For saying stuff about having no friends? Forgiven. Couldn't stay mad forever...'

'You can with everything else' Ron sighed, brow furrowing, 'So protective of Crookshanks, and can find faults with all my homework...'

'I like Crookshanks– And Scabbers ended up to be Pettigrew. I wish my cat really _did_ kill him... except you'd be yelling at me for the rest of my life' Hermione said, frowning.

Ron turned to Hermione, his gaze turning down slightly. 'I could never stay mad at you that long, 'Mione' he said, sincerely.

'Because I'm your friend?'

'No. More than that.' Ron gave a gulp, before standing up, and leaving the lake. Hermione looked after him, looking at the ground for a second, before she followed him, rather silently, pondering what he had just said.


End file.
